The Lyme Land Conservation Trust 2014 Spring Newsletter Lyme’s Preserves Popular For Outdoor Treasure Hunting Game Of Geocaching By Wendy Dow Miller If you are looking for a creative way to get out and enjoy nature in Lyme’s many forest preserves, geocach- ing may be for you. Geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunting game in which participants find caches using Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates or signals. The cach- es usually contain small trinkets. You can take one of the trinkets as long as you replace it with something of equal or greater value, or as it is known in the geocaching world, “take some stuff, leave some stuff.” Each cache has a log to sign with the date and your Photo by Humphrey Tyler geocache name, so make sure to bring a “Clucas Cache” pen with you. Penny Eno, left, and Wendy Dow Miller at the “Clucas Cache,” which Penny hid on In the little over a decade since the Land Trust’s Clucas Preserve on Brush Hill Road two years ago. geocaching “treasures” were first hid- den, participation in this electronic Archer Woods, the Ravine Trail, the Selden who is a frequent participant in volunteer treasure hunting game has exploded. Preserve, Selden Island State Park, the work crews that maintain both the Jewett There are more than 2.3 million Jewett Preserve, Pleasant Valley, Beebe and Pleasant Valley preserves. “caches” worldwide, according to geo- Preserve, Clucas Preserve, and others. There are even a few along highways. caching.com (www.geocaching.com), When geocachers hide a cache and log For instance, one of the caches in Lyme is one of the leading websites that have it onto a website (like geocaching.com) near Rt. 156 and is named “Ladies In Wait- sprung up to serve the more than six with its location’s GPS coordinates, they ing,” a clue that would be easy for just million participants around the globe. A often give hints or directions about its loca- about any Lyme resident to figure out. map of Connecticut caches on geocach- tion and even give each cache site a name. Geocaching began on May 2, 2000 ing.com shows hundreds of caches So for instance, one of the caches in when Dave Ulmer of Beavercreek, Oregon, throughout the state and at least a few the Mt. Archer Woods Preserve is named hid a cache, a plastic bucket containing thousand throughout New England. “Mount Archer Meadows.” Another in the software, videos, books, food, money, and With its many state, town, land neighboring Chauncey Eno Preserve is a slingshot. Dave posted the GPS coordi- trust and Nature Conservancy pre- named “Chan’s Challenge.” nates N 45° 17.460 W 122° 24.800 on the serves, Lyme is a popular geocaching There’s a cache in the Jewett Preserve online community sci.geo.satellite-nav, and area. Geocaching.com lists at least 50 named “Jewett’s Jumble” and another near- said he had hidden a “cache” there. different geocache locations scattered in by named “Parker’s Point,” an apparent Nehantic State Park, Hartman Park, Mt. reference to Lyme Selectman Parker Lord (continued on next page ….) … continued from page one). one before, so she knew that when you got to as it was frozen in place. We were re- Mike Teague was the first person to find the cache listed in the app, it gave coordinates warded with an interesting home-made Dave’s stash and within a month the idea to the second one, which was the “real” wooden puzzle that you had to take had caught on like wildfire, so much so that cache. apart in order to get the coordinates of Mike documented the online posts of coordi- Finding the first one proved difficult due the second cache. nates around the world and created a “GPS to the terrain and the snow. We eventually We entered the coordinates into Stash Hunt” mailing list with people who made our way to the cache with the help of Penny’s GPS, left a small trinket in the were interested in this new activity. the app’s compass feature. cache, put it back in its place and head- The term “geocaching” was coined by It took a little muscle to get the cache out ed for cache #2. This time the terrain combining “geo” for Earth and two mean- was easier, but the snow was much ings of “cache”: 1) a collection of items of Join Lyme Land Trust’s deeper. After a while, we asked Penny the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessi- Geocaching Field Class if there was a hint associated with this ble place; and 2) computer’s memory cache, cache. She looked it up, and it said, The Lyme Land Trust has scheduled a allowing for quick retrieval of information. “Tree trunk”. geocaching field trip in September to teach I sought the guidance of experienced We looked in vain but alas we those interested in learning about the out- Lyme geocacher Penny Eno to take my hus- couldn’t find the second one. door adventure game, how to find cached band Tom and me on our first outing. Penny Lesson learned – wait until the “treasures,” and understanding the generally has been geocaching for more than eight snow melts before trying your first accepted “rules” followed by others in the years and has found geocaches throughout geocaching experience. Nonetheless, geocaching community. Connecticut, in Canada, Spain and Austria. we thoroughly enjoyed our adventure The class will be Saturday Sept. 20 on We met at the Selden Preserve on Josh- and are looking forward to more geo- one of the LLCT preserves and will be led uatown Road, and while there was a lot of caching once spring arrives! by Kathy Katz of the Essex Land Trust & snow on the ground, the day was sunny. So if you are looking for a fun- Jim Lockhart. The geocache app on Penny’s smart filled, healthy and family-friendly activ- Details will be posted in August on: phone showed that there was one cache in ity that will get you outdoors, try your www.lymelandtrust.org . Selden Preserve, but Penny had done this hand at geocaching! ************************** Would You Like to Support the Lyme Land Conservation Trust? Use the convenient envelope bound into this newsletter to mail in your donation today. The Lyme Land Conservation Trust Newsletter Published by The Lyme Land Conservation Trust, Inc., PO Box 1002 , Lyme, CT 06371 [email protected] Tel: 860-434-4639 Board of Directors Publications Committee John Pritchard, President Linda Bireley Don Gerber, Vice President Marta Cone Andy Baxter, Treasurer Angie Falstrom Melvin Woody, Secretary Don Gerber Angie Falstrom Wendolyn Hill Wendolyn Hill Wendy Dow Miller Wendy Dow Miller Rosemary Moore Humphrey S. Tyler Jil Nelson Melvin Woody Nancy Newcomb Humphrey S. Tyler Kiernan Wholean Staff Milton Walters George Moore, Executive Director Lisa Niccolai, Environmental Director 2014 Tour de Lyme …. Just Around The Corner By George Moore Photo by Joe Standart LLCT Executive Director Sunday May 18 is going to be a big day for the Lyme Land cycle, walk, run, or hike -- get out and enjoy what is at your door Trust --it is Tour de Lyme day! step. Few towns can match what Lyme offers. Between 300 and 400 cyclists are expected to ride one of four Tour de Lyme opens up new opportunities for the Land Trust road routes or one of two off road rides. Many are joining together to draw financial support from outside our town borders. Last and forming fund raising teams. The wonderful folks at Ashlawn year, the 325 pre-registered riders came from eight states and 74 Farm are allowing us to use their splendid facilities to stage the different Connecticut towns. event. When one looks through the many pictures that were taken As the riders return to Ashlawn from their rides, they and the last year, it serves to reinforce just how fortunate we are to live volunteers will enjoy a great picnic lunch and entertainment by the surrounded by so much preserved land. It demonstrates how much Eight Mile River Band. Through the generosity of our corporate has been accomplished over the last several decades, not just by sponsors, whose logos appear in this special section, we are able to the Lyme Land Trust but by our conservation partners, in creating offer these amenities to our riders so that their registration fees this gem of a town in the busy corridor between New York and and donations go directly to help the Land Trust. Boston. No wonder Tour de Lyme is such a draw – there aren’t Why are they riding and why do we encourage them? Cyclists many places to ride that offer as much. love being outdoors and understand the health benefits of outdoor Motorists in Lyme, long used to the cyclists who use our activity. They welcome the opportunity to ride routes through the roads, are courteous and supportive of the event. beautiful and lightly travelled roads in Lyme and surrounding Two wonderful all-volunteer Lyme organizations, the Lyme towns. They are motivated to help worthy causes. Tour de Lyme Fire Company and the Lyme Ambulance Association, turn out and with its great picnic is hard to pass up. stand by ready to come to the assistance of any riders who experi- Tour de Lyme allows the Land Trust the opportunity to ence a problem. Last year they were ready and thankfully, their demonstrate the benefits, mental and physical, that result from services were not required. being outside having fun.